Ahmednagar: Noted social rights activist Anna Hazare has slammed yoga guru Baba Ramdev’s plan to raise a ‘nationalist force’ of eleven thousand volunteers, saying that he always practiced non-violence (ahimsa) and called for peaceful protests against the government.
The social crusader is also refusing to meet the Yoga guru, who has been fasting to put pressure on the UPA government to bring back thousands of crores of black money stashed in foreign locations.

Announcing his decision, Hazare said that meeting the Yoga guru at this juncture would amount be construed by many as support to his plans to raise an army of 11000 volunteers.

Hazare`s statement came shortly after Ramdev declared his assets on Thursday and also defended his controversial statement, saying, “I am not training Naxals or Maoists but people who will fight for this country" at a press conference in Haridwar.

Reacting to this, Hazare told reporters at Ralegan Siddhi that there was a difference in their method of protesting on the same issue and their mode of functioning.

Hazare told reporters that he was fighting against corruption but through a non-violent movement.

"We will never succeed through a violent agitation. Our freedom struggle was based on non-violence and the second freedom struggle against corruption will be on the same lines of non-violence," he was quoted as saying.

However, the social activist reiterated his demand of bringing the Jan Lokpal bill into effect by August 15 this year.

“Nothing has changed in the past sixty years. The Britishers have left but those with corrupt souls have taken over from them. Issues like exploitation, poverty, injustice are not redressed, that’s why I have called for a second freedom struggle that would ensure clean and pro-people administration," he added.